Her shoulders sagged and he felt like the world’s biggest ass, but she seriously aggravated the crap out of him.
“And if you’re going to toss out your expectations of people you work for and how they’re failing you, then you need to be prepared for them to tell you all the ways you’re lacking.” There wasn’t anything else he wanted to say because he was already choking on his heated words. Now he had to deal with getting them over to the car rental agency, canceling their charter flight, and getting his assistant on the phone to try to see what could be done about the hotel because he just didn’t have it in him to do it himself.
After everything he and Peyton shared last night–and again this morning–it hurt him more than he thought it would that she would immediately slip back into work mode. Didn’t she get it? What happened between them had nothing to do with work and business. It wasn’t just about last night. He thought it was obvious it wasn’t a one-night stand.
Clearly, it wasn’t.
And it stung that not only did she think like that, but that it didn’t seem to bother her that it’s all it was.
Raking a hand through his hair, he looked over at her. “Wait here while I go make arrangements to get us over to rent a car.” He made it all of five feet before Peyton called out to him. Hanging his head, he let out a long breath before facing her. “Yes?”
Walking over, she shook her head. “Do you even understand why I’m upset?”
He nodded.
“I don’t appreciate you making light of my fear, Ryder. If you don’t respect me enough…”
Reaching out, he grasped her shoulders and gave her a small shake. “I do respect you! I think it’s the other way around here and you don’t respect me!”
“How…?”
Dropping his hands in exasperation, he struggled to find the right words. “I don’t give a damn about this trade show! Do you know why I’m going?”
She shook her head.
“Because it’s important to you! No matter what we saw or which vendors we talked to, I was always going to defer to you on what we put in the kitchens. Don’t you get that? I would have been fine looking at a catalog or even if you just gave me a list of what you wanted me to buy!” Her expression never changed, and he had to wonder why he was even trying. With a helpless shrug, he said, “I wanted to experience it through your eyes. You were so excited about it and I guess…I just wanted to know what that was like. That’s why I’m pushing so hard to get us there.”
“Oh,” she said quietly.
“If you’ll excuse me, I just need about five minutes to let everyone know the change of plans. Could you possibly see about reserving a car for us while I handle this?” Turning, he started to walk away, and again, she called out and stopped him.
This time he didn’t turn around.
“No,” she said.
Slowly, he glanced over his shoulder. “What?”
“No,” she repeated. “I’m not going to see about reserving a car.”
His initial impression of her being an immature brat flashed through his mind, but Ryder quickly pushed it away. “Fine. I’ll take care of it. Travel arrangements weren’t in your job description. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really need to let everyone know what’s going on.”
“I’m not making the arrangements, Ryder, because…you’re right,” she said, and he heard a hint of annoyance in her voice and did his best to hide a smile.
“About…?”
This time she rolled her eyes. “This show is important to me and I really do want to get there. I just…I can’t help being scared. If we were getting on a 747, I’d like to think I’d feel better, but…I don’t know!”
There was no way he couldn’t go to her. She might just want a working relationship with him from now on, but he wasn’t going to think about that right now. Walking over, he pulled her into his arms and hated how she stiffened against him.
“I hate that you’re afraid,” he whispered, relieved when she started to relax in his embrace. “And I hate that I’m the one who caused that fear. Nothing’s going to happen this time, Peyton. We have a pilot and a co-pilot who have over thirty years of experience between them. The plane is more than twice the size of mine.” Then he pulled back and looked down at her with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “And you won’t be sitting alone. I’ll be right there beside you and I promise to do anything you need to distract you.”
Her own smile was reluctant. “You promise?”
He nodded. “I promise.”
With a weary sigh, she met his gaze. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Ryder was afraid to hesitate for even a minute because he didn’t want her to change her mind. “Can we get some help with our luggage, please?” he called out as he led Peyton over to the plane. “If there’s anything you want before we take off, just let me know and we’ll get it.”
Walking up the steps ahead of him, she murmured, “Any chance you have a tranquilizer dart? I’m pretty sure that would be helpful.”
The thing was, he knew she was only partly kidding.
On board, they took their seats and Ryder figured the best way to keep her distracted–and stay in the business zone like she wanted–was to focus on work. Booting up his laptop, he pulled up the site for the trade show and spent the next two and a half hours letting her talk about which vendors they were going to see and why they were the best of what they were looking for. She’d held his hand in a vice grip during takeoff and landing, but other than that, it was business as usual.
And he hated every second of it.
A town car picked them up at the airport and took them to their hotel. He’d booked them at the Four Seasons because it was his usual hotel of choice and the look on Peyton’s face when they checked in was almost comical. She’d made a few comments on how she would have been fine at a “normal” hotel, but he simply shrugged.
“We have one deluxe mountain-view room with a king bed and then the one-bedroom presidential suite,” the clerk confirmed.
“Correct,” Ryder replied and signed where he was directed and thanked him when he got the keys. It wasn’t until he and Peyton were in the elevator with the bell hop that she spoke again.
“A deluxe mountain-view room?”
“I thought you’d enjoy it. The view truly is spectacular.”
She made a non-committal sound. “And…you’re in the presidential suite?”
He nodded. “Probably just down the hall.” Glancing at his watch, he frowned. “I figure we can spare about thirty minutes to get settled in our rooms and then we’ll meet up and head over to the convention center. Will that work for you?”
Another quiet sound and nod were her only response and for the life of him, Ryder didn’t understand what was wrong. The flight had been flawless, the trip to the airport had been equally pleasant, and they were staying at one of the most luxurious hotels in the city before going to the big trade show. He might not know Peyton that well, but he figured she’d be a little more excited than this.
“Peyton, is everything alright?” he forced himself to ask.
She was staring at the elevator doors. “Fine. Why?” she responded listlessly.
O-kay…
“It’s just…you seem a little…underwhelmed. I thought you were looking forward to this?”
“I am.”
Something was definitely bothering her and for the life of him, he had no idea what it could possibly be.
“You’re not still upset because we flew, are you?”
“No.” Turning her head, she gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m not upset, Ryder.” Then she resumed staring at the elevator doors. Their rooms were on the sixteenth floor and when they stepped out a minute later, she thanked him and promised to meet him in the lobby in thirty minutes.
All without looking at him.
There were at least a dozen things he wanted to say to her–to force her to look at him and tell him why she was acting like thi
s–but…he didn’t want to make a scene. The bellhop took care of her luggage before stepping back into the hall to lead Ryder to his room. So with nothing more than a curt nod, he turned and strode down the hall to his suite.
Inside, he tipped the bellhop and waited for him to leave before growling with frustration. It was going to be damn difficult to deal with walking around a trade show with Peyton being in this mood and being so…indifferent to him. And really, how dare she? She was the one who decided they needed to go back to a work-only relationship as soon as they’d left the hotel this morning. So why was he being punished?
The last thing he wanted to do was unpack, so instead he simply prowled around the suite. It was magnificent, just like he knew it would be, and he couldn’t help but wish Peyton was staying in it with him. The look on her face yesterday when she explored their ridiculously small motel room came to mind, and he wondered if she’d look around at all this luxury with the same expression. Walking over to the wall of windows, Ryder studied the view of the mountains and wondered if Peyton was looking out her window and impressed by what she saw.
“I’m seriously losing my mind,” he muttered before turning away. The bar was fully stocked and it was beyond tempting to have a drink. Picking up a bottle of Patrón, he was about to pour himself a glass when there was a knock at the door. It wasn’t unusual for the concierge to come up and make sure everything was to his liking, so he figured he’d just tell them yes and ask to be alone.
But when he opened the door, it wasn’t the concierge.
It was Peyton.
And she looked ready to spit nails.
“Peyton, is everything…?”
Her hand in his face stopped him. “Not a word!” she snapped before stepping around him and walking into the room. “I’ve got something to say to you!” By the time he shut the door and turned, she was already out of his sight. The suite was huge and he found her in the middle of the living room, slowly turning in a circle as she looked around. When she spotted him, she paused and frowned. “Why does one person need all this space?”
“Um…”
“You know what? It’s not important,” she muttered before walking over to him. “What the hell, Ryder?”
Honestly, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do or say, so he just waited for her to keep going.
And she did.
“You know, I knew I had you pegged from the get-go–the uptight, haughty rich dude who didn’t do relationships. I knew it and yet I threw caution to the wind anyway. And just when I thought that maybe I’d been wrong about you, you go and prove me right!”
“I’m sorry, but…what?”
She nodded and then began to walk in a slow circle around him. “Yeah, you go and prove me right! We had this amazing night last night–at least, it was amazing to me–and as soon as we left the hotel, you acted as if nothing happened! I mean…how is that possible?” she demanded, even though she didn’t wait for an answer. “Don’t you have any feelings? Isn’t it even a little awkward for you to have us working this closely together after seeing each other naked?”
“Peyton, I…”
“Or is this just the norm for you? Do you usually sleep with the women you’re working with? Schmooze them and impress them with your private plane and fancy dinners before sleeping with them and walking away? Huh? Is that your MO? Do you…”
He never let her finish and honestly, he hated that this was how he was continually having to break her train of thought but…he stepped in close, cupped her face and silenced her with a kiss. He didn’t give her a chance to say another word; he simply conquered and claimed and practically sagged against her when she kissed him back with just as much eagerness.
Glad I’m not alone…
On and on it went–hot and vicious and all-consuming–and if Ryder had his way, they’d stay like this until she believed he wasn’t that guy. It was important that she understand that…
Wait a minute…
Abruptly, he broke the kiss and stared down at her as he caught his breath. Her expression was a little dazed and confused and he had a feeling he looked the same way.
“Peyton,” he began and immediately had to stop and clear his throat. “I’m not the one who wanted to go back to a work relationship. That was you.”
“What? No, it wasn’t! You were all about talking business on the plane,” she countered.
“But that was only after you had started throwing back at me what you expected of our working relationship!”
Her eyes went wide, and she went to say something but seemed to instantly reconsider, her mouth opening and closing as she stared up at him.
It galled him how this girl had completely knocked him on his ass time and time again with her boldness. For all his years of wheeling and dealing and believing he had all the confidence in the world, Peyton Bishop had been doing nothing but proving to him just how wrong he was about himself for the past month.
Stepping in close again, he repeated his pose of cupping her face. He didn’t kiss her this time, though. Now it was his turn to say a few things.
“You have no idea how much you destroyed me yesterday,” he began gruffly. “You are bold and sexy and exciting and I want more of that. More of you. I don’t want last night to be all we have.” He felt her relax against him. “Do you want more with me? To see where this can go?”
“I do, Ryder,” she agreed softly. “But I need to know that you’re truly all in with me, that you’re not just killing time while we’re working together.”
“That’s not it at all. This has nothing to do with our business relationship. I want to spend time with you, get to know you, laugh with you, and make love with you. Are you willing to give me a chance?”
She nodded. “More than anything,” she said, her tone more than a little breathless.
“Thank God,” he murmured before sealing it with a kiss.
Peyton’s body molded to his, and it was all he could do to stop from picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom. The way she hummed and rubbed against him told Ryder she’d be open to that idea, but he didn’t want to take away from why they were here and how important it had been to her.
So for the second time today, he reluctantly broke their kiss. “Trade show,” he panted, swallowing hard. “You mentioned a demonstration you wanted to see today.”
Biting her bottom lip, she looked up at him. She was a mix of sweet and sexy, vixen and virgin and he wanted her with a ferocity that scared him.
“Would it be terribly irresponsible if I said I don’t want to go?” she asked.
Ryder’s hands were firmly gripping her waist. With a gentle squeeze, he gave her a wolfish grin. “Not at all.” Leaning forward and resting his forehead against hers as he held on to the final threads of control, he added one last thing to reassure her. “If it makes you feel any better, I never shirk my responsibilities or play hooky, but for you, Duchess, I am more than ready, willing, and able to skip it all and take you to bed.”
She went limp in his arms with a soft moan. “That was the most perfect thing to say ever.” Her tongue teased at his lips. “What are you waiting for? Take me to bed, Ryder.”
So he did.
Neither regretted missing the first day of the show.
8
For two weeks, it was like they lived in their own bubble.
The trade show had been amazing and Peyton not only learned a lot, but got to design her dream kitchen for both restaurants and the resort café. Ryder didn’t spare any expense when it came to these projects and as much as she had tried to reason that just because something cost the most didn’t necessarily mean it was the best, he tended to go with what cost the most.
It was both interesting and exasperating.
Back in Magnolia, she had gone back to work at the café and kept her normal schedule, but every night she and Ryder would collapse into bed together as if they had been apart for weeks rather than hours.
It was the best kin
d of exhaustion imaginable.
The man made love like he did everything else–with a commanding presence and take-charge attitude.
And she loved every minute of it.
Today was going to be their first foray out of their bubble, and she was more than a little nervous about it; although, any interaction with her mother tended to bring her anxiety to the surface. Georgia Bishop made her crazy on a good day and was known for being hypercritical. Seeing her daughter with Ryder was certainly going to have her either questioning why someone like him was dating her or she was going to start planning their wedding.
Neither were good options.
Then there was Austin. Even though he was only a cousin, she knew he was going to have some opinions about this relationship. The last time they talked, he expressed how he didn’t think they should be working together, so she couldn’t imagine him being agreeable to finding out they were now dating.
Why are we going to this party then?
Oh, right. It was her brother’s birthday so…she really needed to be there.
“You’re frowning again,” Ryder said as he walked over and kissed her. “If you don’t want me to go with you…”
They’d been talking about the party and all the things Peyton feared would happen. It was still a bit mind-boggling how comfortable she was with telling him things–like…everything–but at the same time, it felt completely natural.
“You know I want you there with me,” she told him, kissing him softly on the cheek before sitting down on the sofa. “You were invited even though no one knows we’re dating. Plus, my sister is finally home for a visit and I really want you to meet her.”
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